Mama Needs Coffee, #HelloKeurig

I received a complimentary Keurig 2.0 through Influenster to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
Did you know yesterday was National Coffee Day? How many cups did you have? ;D
I wanted to get this post up yesterday, but PicMonkey was acting up. :/
Anyways.
I drink coffee daily. Out of a single serve coffee maker. I didn't get into coffee until shortly after I started watching B, so when SweetPea was about 14-16 months maybe? But now I HAVE to have my morning cup o' joe (and even sometimes two). I not only need that pick-me-up, but I also like the taste. My husband says I really like the taste of my creamer with a splash of coffee. Pfft. No one has time for that negativity in their life.

Now saying all that, I've never owned an actual Keurig before, but we do have a single cup Mr. Coffee brewer that is Keurig certified. So when I received the opportunity to review the new Keurig 2.0 that can make a single cup AND a 4-cup carafe, I jumped all over the opportunity! Whenever we have people over, they want a cup of coffee. But single serve brewers can take up too much time, energy, & aren't really cost effective.

I received a sample pack of regular k-cups and then 2 boxes of carafe k-cups along with the Keurig 2.0. I didn't snap a picture beforehand because I didn't think about it for whatever reason. I ran through the regular sample k-cups fairly quickly.

You can't use non-keurig k-cups with the Keurig 2.0. There is a little sensor inside that can tell the difference. Which stinks because I love Gevalia. Apparently the idea was so it could scan your coffee, hot cocoa, or cappuccino k-cup, recognize the difference, and make the perfect cup. But also to know if you are using a carafe k-cup or not. This also means no make-your-own k-cups that use bagged coffee. So I have mostly been using my Keurig to get hot water to defrost breastmilk for Peanut's cereal. I did pack up my Mr. Coffee, but when I found out you couldn't use non-keurig k-cups with the 2.0, I brought it back out. I now have TWO coffee makers on my counter.

I would say that the Keurig 2.0 is a good gift. I would, except it would be for someone who only likes certain kinds of coffee. We actually use to drink Green Mountain coffee all the time, a Keurig brand, but then for some reason prices went up. That's the main reason we buy Gevalia, now. Keurig does have some great brands (40 ) and varieties (250 ) you can try like Donut Shop, Folgers, Eight O'Clock, and Starbucks.

When you brew a carafe, the Keurig 2.0 recognizes it by sensor (which I already mentioned), but it also recognizes when you insert the carafe in the station. You can use OTHER features with a carafe k-cup and a coffee mug, so no more watered down coffee for the ones who need more than one cup to get going in the mornings! I love this feature because my Mr. Coffee had the option to select a larger cup, but it would always water down my coffee and I like my coffee STRONG! You can still make a weaker cup of coffee with a regular k-cup simply by choosing the option of more water to be added when brewing.
The Keurig 2.0 has a backlight which I think is a cool feature especially since you can change it to any color you want. I love the idea of having a carafe for when company comes over. The issue is when I'm not using the carafe, I can't just pull it out and then have a single cup and then put it back. Because they have this little shelf so the single serve sits higher and your coffee doesn't splash out when you brew it. I get that. But what do I do with the carafe (or little shelf) when not in use?

I don't like that the Keurig 2.0 uses a TON of energy if you keep it on all the time because it makes sure there will always be hot water at the press of a button. Again, I get that. But we turn it off so not to waste so much energy.
Price point? A little pricey for my taste. $150? For a coffee maker I can't use my own coffee in? What if I have family who lives over seas and they want to send me a special blend? If Keurig comes out with a make-your-own k-cup that you can use with the 2.0, then this machine would be worth it.

This would make a good gift for the techie in your life who loves coffee.

Do you like coffee? How did you celebrate National Coffee Day? What do you think about the Keurig 2.0?